


Ask that Pretty Girl to Dance

by anniesardors



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Dancing, Dating, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Slow Dancing, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28815135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anniesardors/pseuds/anniesardors
Summary: AKA: The five times Jay asks Hailey to dance and the one time he doesn't
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Comments: 7
Kudos: 88





	Ask that Pretty Girl to Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! Let's take a moment of appreciation because UPSTEAD HAPPENED. In all the happiness and giddiness of this week, I was inspired to write this fic and I must say, it is one of my favorite things I have written, so I truly hope you enjoy it.
> 
> The title comes from the song "Pretty Girl" by LaPeer

**One**

The first time Jay asks Hailey to dance, they are not even on a dance floor. They are sitting in his truck in the cold Chicago winter, the music on the radio and their playful banter filling the silence. They are waiting on a CI, who is over an hour late, but Hailey insists that is still early for this particular CI.

They pass the time sharing stories and making jokes. Hailey tells him about her first arrest and Jay tells her about the time he hurt his arm in the third grade and Will tried to convince his younger brother that he could do the stitches. She laughs at the story of a young Will and Jay and follows up with a story of her own childhood, one of the few he thinks he has ever heard.

"I used to tell my brothers I was going to arrest them when I got older." She laughs from her spot on the passenger side.

He can see it now. A smaller Hailey, still tough as nails, taking on her older brothers, not letting anything stop her. He thinks that if he had known her then, they might just be friends and a young Jay probably would have had a crush on her.

"Did you end up arresting them?" He asks, glancing at her slightly, even though he probably knows the answer.

"Nah. They ended up alright."

A small grin grows on Jay's face as a silence falls upon them. He does not know much about his partner, but he prides himself on knowing more than most. They have been partners for a little over a year and a half now and while she keeps most things close to the chest, she has started to let him, and just him in, and he appreciates being the person she turns to.

She confided in him after the Booth case (although that was more him pushing her to open up, but he'll take it as a start.)

She opened up to him after she told a suspect about her own history of abuse and made a connection with him, leading to a confession of his crimes, only for the confession to be false and Hailey to be left with unimaginable guilt.

He knows she was with Adam at that point and it still means the world to him that she came to him, even if he does not have the words to admit that yet.

And speaking of their friend Adam, Hailey came to him when they ended things. Not at first, but she came to him nonetheless. She wasn't torn up or heartbroken, just telling Jay that they both knew it was going to work out for many reasons.

He couldn't help but feel a little bit of hope when she said that.

He was not quite sure when he stopped seeing her as just his partner and started to want more. The first time the thought popped into his mind, he quickly pushed it out, because he could not go down that road again. But the thoughts of Hailey just kept coming. Jay could not quite explain his feelings, but he knew he cared for his partner more than he could ever explain.

The song on the radio changes and out of the corner of his eye, Jay can see Hailey humming and swaying gently in her seat. He smiles because the simple motion is such a sharp contrast to her normally serious demeanor. She must catch his gaze because she stops and makes a face at him.

"What?"

"I can turn it up if you want to dance." He teases, his hand moving towards the radio before she swats his hand with her own.

"I wasn't dancing."

"Not what it looked like over here."

"Well, you're wrong." She is stubborn through and through and it takes everything in him to not just laugh. "Probably should work on those detective skills."

Jay feigns offense and waits a moment before turning up the radio a tad and teasingly saying, "Come on. Dance."

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, leaning back in her seat to make a point that she was not dancing and will not start dancing. He thinks she is about to say something when the happy look on her face is replaced by a stoic one and she tells him that she sees her CI.

As he gets out of the truck to go interview her CI, he thinks he can feel his heart beating just a bit too fast.

* * *

**Two**

The second time Jay asks Hailey to dance, the situation is much more appropriate. They are at Joe Cruz's wedding reception and it feels like a nice break from the chaos that comes with saving the city every day. They spend the day celebrating Joe and Chloe with their friends from Med and Firehouse 51 (and with lots of alcohol and dancing.)

He sits at a table with the other members of intelligence, laughing and chatting as they watch some of their friends dance. Adam and Kim break away at one point and the rest of their friends laugh as they see Adam breaking out his moves with Cruz while Kim and Chloe stand by and watch.

Hailey sits close to him at their table and every now and then he can feel her leg brush against his under the table. She is wearing a knee-length dark purple dress and Jay would be lying if he said she didn't take his breath away when he first saw her when he picked her up. He can't think of a time where he has seen her in a dress for something other than an undercover op. And while he is a huge fan of the flannels she sports every day, he thinks that maybe this is not a bad look either.

Stella pops by their table, Kelly in tow, leaning against Hailey's chair and pointing at Jay and Hailey, quickly saying, "You two need to down another drink and join us on the dance floor. Now."

The look on her face shows that she means business, so Jay just lifts his glass while smirking at Hailey, who copies his motions with a laugh. He follows her out to the floor and is incredibly thankful for the upbeat music and the large crowd of people. He can jump a little and sway a bit without completely embarrassing himself (in front of his partner nonetheless.)

"Nice moves Halstead." He hears her say over the music and when he turns to see her, there is a sweet and shy look on her face. She is not exactly dancing either, mainly just swaying to the beat and laughing at their friends.

"I know you're trying to tease me and I don't think that's a very nice thing for my partner to do."

"Yeah well, I don't think it's a very nice thing for my partner to embarrass me like this."

He is about to quip back with his own witty remark when the song changes and he can hear Hermann making an announcement over the loudspeaker.

"Alright, you knuckleheads. This song is for Joe and Chloe from firehouse 51. To welcome the newest member of our family."

A slow song starts and out of the corner of his eye, Jay can see their friends on the dance floor find their significant others and start to dance along to the music. He sees Trudy gravitate towards Mouch and Kelly reaches for Stella.

And in front of him, is Hailey, who is awkwardly starting to make her way off the dance floor.

"Let's get a-"

He puts out his hand towards her and the words stop on her lips.

"Jay?" She says in a questioning tone.

"Come on, it's a wedding." He reasons.

"I thought we just established that you can't dance." He can tell she is a little nervous, and maybe it's the alcohol he just downed or the fact that they are at a wedding, but he is feeling a bit bolder than he normally would, so he goes for it.

"Yeah, well I can embarrass us both for a few more minutes." He says calmly. "Come on, dance with me."

Tentatively, she puts her hand in his and he pulls her close. He does not know the first thing about dancing, so he starts swaying, his arms setting around her waist as she gently lays her arms around his shoulders. He can feel the warmth of her hands on his neck and can see a shy smile growing on her face.

They don't talk much, rather just enjoying the music and the company of the other. Jay thinks that he has only held her this close once, and that was when they were laying on the floor of the surveillance van being shot at a few months ago.

He thinks that he likes this situation much more than that one.

Glancing around quickly, he sees Trudy and Mouch dancing, both their eyes closed, in their own happy little bubble. To their left, he can see a rare, wide grin on Kelly's face as he and Stella try to dance. Stella is laughing, holding her boyfriend close. Jay focuses his attention back on Hailey, who has settled into the dance and appears more comfortable. If he is honest, he does not know what his feelings are for his partner, but he knows whatever they are, they are strong. Dancing with her in his arms just paints the picture more clearly that she is one of the most important things to him.

"You think you'll survive this embarrassment?" He says after a while, catching her off guard. She smiles up at him and he thinks he likes this side of her. The side where they are not cops protecting the city, but they are Jay and Hailey. The side where she lets her guard down more and he can start to see more of her true colors.

"I think I'll manage."

He thinks he will too.

* * *

**Three**

The third time he asks her to dance, they are separated by 800 miles and a phone screen. She left for New York shortly after Cruz's wedding and in the weeks that she has been gone, they have found themselves talking more often. It started with him dropping her off at the airport, telling her to text him when she landed, which turned into a phone call the next day to let him know how her first day was.

After that, they were consistently talking throughout the day.

Normally, she woke up first since she was an hour ahead of him. She would start off her day by shooting him a good morning text and that would start the ball rolling. Some mornings they just texted, but his favorite mornings were when she would tell him things were slow at the New York office and he could call her for a few minutes on his drive to work. From there, it was more text message exchanges throughout the day and normally a Facetime at night if they both got out of work at a somewhat normal time.

They had never communicated obsessively through their phones, but he attributes that to the fact that they spend almost 24/7 together, working side by side and spending much of their off time together doing their "thing." They would text throughout the day, both about work and whatever else was going on, and there was the occasional phone call, but nothing compared to the virtual communication habits they picked up while she was in New York.

On this particular Facetime call, he can feel the tiredness in his bones, but seeing her smile when she answers his call is enough to reenergize him. She has been gone for about three weeks at this point and with every passing day he continues to embrace the truth that his feelings for his partner are not just those of a friend.

She is telling him about the case they caught and the adventures she is going on with her new temporary partner OA and he wishes nothing more than for her to be back in Chicago. He wishes she wasn't telling him stories about her case, but they were sitting in her kitchen, doing their thing, reflecting on their case.

He is sitting on his couch and can see her moving around her small hotel room through his screen when she pauses, grabbing her phone and sitting on her bed.

"Vanessa called me today." She tells him and he sighs. Vanessa had just told the team that she was recruited by Narcotics to do an undercover op. It was a huge opportunity for the young cop and as much as no one in Intelligence wanted to see her go, they were happy for the chance she was given.

"How are you doing with it?" He asks, knowing how close they became during the past few months.

Hailey shrugs. "I mean, I'm happy for her. I really am. But I'm going to miss her. A lot."

"I know."

"It sucks that I don't get to say goodbye in person." The part that tore Vanessa up the most about leaving was that her op started before Hailey's time at the FBI ended, meaning that the two would not have a proper goodbye. When Jay had heard this, his heart hurt at the thought of how hard this would be for Hailey.

"I'm sorry, Hails." He tells her sincerely. "I really am."

She nods, settling herself into the bed a little more, leaning against the large white pillows and getting comfortable before saying, "She told me she's making you all go out with her one last time."

Jay laughs because going out is a bit of an understatement. Vanessa being the youngest member of intelligence meant she had much more energy and enthusiasm than her coworkers. While their idea of going out was a night at Molly's, her idea more often than not was a club.

"I think I might be too old to go wherever she is taking us." He says at last with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah." A small grin lights up her face and he finds himself wishing he was with her instead of looking at her through the too-small screen. "Vanessa has dragged me to a club or two and you are waaaay too old for that scene."

"I'll have you know, I can still bust a move for someone who is so old." He exaggerates the last two words, which makes her laugh.

"I would pay good money to see that. I'm going to tell Kim to record you when you all go out."

"Oh, so you want to see me dance? I seem to remember you saying my dancing was embarrassing."

She hums knowingly, but does not respond. He knows they are walking a thin line, teetering between friends and something more. Part of him thinks that this is as far as they'll get, flirty banter between partners who are both too scared to make a move and risk their friendship. But, when he sees the way she smiles at him over the phone, another part of him, a larger part of him, thinks that maybe whatever is growing between the two of them is inevitable.

"You're very lucky you're gonna be in New York when we go out because I would force you to dance with me." He says at last.

Her laugh is louder this time and it somehow makes him miss her even more.

"So we can both look like idiots?"

"Exactly."

There is a pause for a moment and watches as she collects her thoughts. While this flirty banter has become a bit of a normal occurance for them, especially at night during their facetime calls when they have gone through yet another day missing the other one, it always just says with flirty comments. While this thing in between them might be inevitable, that conversation is one he does not want to have while there are so many miles separating them.

"You know, you probably wouldn't have to force me," She says and it sounds a bit more sincere than she intended. He raises an eyebrow and cocks his head slightly.

"Really?"

"I mean I've said yes before." He is not sure if it is the lighting or the phone screen, but he swears he can see the red raise in her cheeks.

In reality, he can start to feel the heat rise in his face too, because he remembers that night at Joe and Chloe's wedding and right now, with her hundreds of miles away, he wishes more than anything they could be back in that reception hall, dancing in each other's arms. In the moments after that dance, when the music turned upbeat again and Jay loosened his tie and Hailey took off their heels and they let loose with their friends, he knew he would never be able to get over the feeling of holding her that close.

"So you're saying when you come back from New York, we should go dancing?"

She throws her head back laughing before answering with an adamant, "Hell no."

"Come on, Hails. Dance with me. Please." He teases gently.

"I don't know if I can handle any more embarrassment." She says.

Her laugh makes him feel invigorated and her teasing makes him feel alive, leading to a strange feeling of boldness and determination when he finally answers her. "Oh, I'm going to get you to say yes. Just you wait."

"Okay. You do that Jay."

He secretly vows that it's his new mission to get her to dance with him again.

* * *

**Four**

It does not take him long to complete his mission, because the fourth time he asks her to dance with him is a few months later. It's months after New York and all the madness of 2020 and after her offer from the FBI. It's been two months since they met up in a bar and he asked what the FBI offered her and felt his heart sink at the idea of losing her to New York yet again, this time for good. He still remembers the small smile she had when she said he could tell her he did not want her to take it. He could still see the twinkle in her eye when she said she did not want to leave because of him. He still can feel the fast beating of his heart when she said it had been a long time since she saw him as just a partner.

And, of course, he still remembers the sweet, beautiful feeling of kissing her for the first time. It's a feeling he does not think he could forget if he tried.

After that kiss, there are so many moments that he is trying so desperately to never forget. Their first (real) date, the first time she spent the night and the first morning he woke up next to her. He wants to remember every stolen kiss and every lazy Sunday and every moment in between.

It's a random Tuesday night and they are spending the night in at her place. Due to the hecticness of their jobs, they do not get too many nights out, not that either of them minds. They are more than content to spend the night at home with the other's company.

It's still early, only about 7:00pm, and Hailey is moving around the kitchen, music playing on her phone. He is supposed to be setting up netflix in the other room, but he can't take his eyes off of her as she sways along to the music, an old rag in her hand as she wipes down the counter, her hair up in her signature ponytail.

He waits until her back is turned to him to sneak into the kitchen and wrap his arms around her waist. She melts into his chest and drops the rag as he presses a kiss to her cheek. He sways on his feet for a moment, moving her with him, before he turns her around in his arms, continuing to dance around the kitchen.

"What are you doing, you goof?"

"Felt like dancing." He hums, resting his cheek against her head and pulling her close. He can feel her laughing against him and lets out a smile before lifting his head to focus on her.

"Who would have known that mister tough detective dances at home." She teases as she tightly wraps one arm around his waist and then rests the other on his chest.

"It's just because I've got a good partner." He whispers, before adding, "Dance with me?"

"Of course." He rests his head against hers again, wrapping his arms around her tightly and swaying to the music. He closes her eyes and listens to her breathing against him and wishes that he could stay in this moment forever.

It's here, dancing in the kitchen in his sweats, arms tightly wrapped around Hailey, that he thinks that this must be what love feels like. He has thought he felt love before, and maybe he did, but he knows that he never felt this. This feeling he has for her, the way it burns his soul and encompasses his body, is the strongest thing he has ever felt and he never wants this feeling to go away.

"I love you." His soft, low voice pulls her attention from their slow movements and she pulls her head back from his to look him in the eye.

The way her eyes gaze up at him makes his heart swell and if he has ever thought he might love Hailey, this moment is confirmation enough.

"I love you too."

He kisses her softly as they dance in her kitchen and he decides he has never felt more at home.

* * *

**Five**

By the time he asks her to dance for the fifth time, he is so incredibly in love with Hailey Anne Upton that he cannot even describe the way he feels for her. It has been two wonderful years of loving her and he thinks he could love her for the rest of his days and still need more time with her.

There is soft music playing and chatter all around them and Jay can feel Hailey tucked into his side. They don't know many people at this wedding, leading to them being glued to each other's side for the majority of the night, not that either of them minded. Hailey only peels herself away from his side when they see the groom approaching them, allowing Jay to hug his best friend.

"Congrats Mouse!" He says, gently hitting his friend's back with a laugh. He still could not believe that Mouse, his army buddy, was getting married. They had been through so much together during their time overseas and their time in Chicago. Mouse had been to hell and back and if there was anyone who deserved a little bit of happiness, it was Mouse. And he found it in Eliza.

"Thanks, man. Glad you could make it." Mouse smiles proudly before glancing at Hailey. "Hailey, good to see you." He hugs her gently. Jay loves how close the two have become, even though they have only been able to see each other face to face a few times. Despite the geographic barriers, it makes him happy that his girl and his best friend can still get to know each other and connect.

"Congrats Mouse. It was a beautiful wedding."

"That was all Liza." Mouse explains. "I was pretty useless during the planning process."

"Shocker." Jay laughs as he wraps his arm back around Hailey.

"Brother, I don't know what you're laughing at," Mouse says. "I know for a matter of fact that Hailey is still keeping you in line."

"You're not wrong." Jay smiles down at her, tightening his grip on her slightly as Mouse tells them that it was good seeing them and he will make sure to catch them later before being pulled away by other wedding guests.

The next few minutes they spend in small talk with other people they run into or in conversation with each other as they people watch. Jay holds Hailey tight against his side as they watch Mouse and Eliza have their first dance, although Jay is pretty sure he stares at Hailey through the whole thing, thinking about when it will be their turn out there.

When the song changes, the DJ invites other guests to grab their someone special and join the couple out of the dance floor. The song is some slow song Jay doesn't know, but he doesn't hesitate in turning to Hailey and whispering "Can I have this dance?"

The small giggle she gives him in return is all the answer he needs to take her hand and lead her out to the dance floor. He knows that at this point in their relationship, he does not really need to ask her if she will dance with him, because both of them will take any excuse they can to be close to the other, but he will still ask every time, because that is what she deserves.

They fall into a familiar rhythm, with his hands snaked around her waist. She has one hand resting on his chest and the other plays with his hair at the nape of his neck. He keeps her close, swaying gently to the music and keeping his eyes on the girl in his arms.

"You know…" he starts. "That's gonna be us one day." He nods over to Mouse and Eliza, who are dancing a few feet away from them, looking overjoyed in their own little bubble.

"You proposing Halstead?" A small laugh escapes her lips and he can feel it vibrate against his chest. "Nah, this is Mouse's day. Besides, that would be a tad cheesy." He smiles down at her. "And you deserve a proper proposal."

"Jay," Her voice is soft and sweet, yet serious. "You could ask me in the locker room at work and I would still say yes."

"Is that your way of saying you want to marry me?" He says in a slightly teasing tone to which she just rolls her eyes in the most Hailley way, making his heart constrict a bit.

"I don't know what would ever give you that idea."

He hums at her joke because they both know what would give him that idea. Neither of them were ones to rush into relationships blindly, but early on in their time together, they both realized this was it for them. He knew from that first kiss that he wanted Hailey to be his last and he was sure she felt the same way. There were few things he was certain of in this life, but the one thing he knew to be true was that Hailey Upton was his person.

The idea of marriage had not been a tangible one for him for most of his life. When he was in the military, it was hard to see a life past the war. Even when he got home, envisioning a future where he could be happy and whole with another person still seemed foreign and dangerous. And then with Erin, who he thought he might get a real shot with, it was the wrong time and the wrong reasons. After all that, he did not dare think marriage was in the cards for him.

Then a blonde ball of passion and strength named Hailey Upton walked into a crime scene and changed his life forever. Before he knew it, he could not envision a life without her. The minute he knew what it was like to be with her- to talk with her, sleep with her, kiss her and hold her- he knew that was all he wanted in this life. He knew he had to marry her.

And if he was being honest, it was taking all of his energy to not ask her to marry him at this moment, but there is a ring that is burning a hole in his drawer at home and he means it when he says that he wants to do this right. She deserves that.

She deserves everything. "Well, Upton, I'll tell you what," He whispers at last, pulling her a bit closer to his chest as the music continues, "I won't propose in the locker room, but I will be proposing."

"I don't think you're supposed to tell me that you're going to propose." She cocks her head slightly with a joyful look growing on her face.

"Like it was ever going to be a surprise that I want to marry you." He hears her chuckle and feels her rests her head in the nook of his shoulder, moving her hand from his chest to his back.

"Good." She says softly. "I want to marry you too."

* * *

**And the time that he doesn't…**

If someone had told a twenty-two-year-old Jay that one day he would be at his own wedding, surrounded by so many people that cared about him, marrying the girl of his dreams, he would have thought they were crazy. The war had taken so much hope and light away from him and he had stopped believing that good things were in the cards for him.

But the light came back when Hailey walked into his life. So here he was, dressed in a fancy suit watching as his chosen family, the members of Intelligence and Firehouse 51 and Med, at his wedding reception.

He did not take long after Mouse's wedding to propose, because, in reality, they had already waited long enough. Jay could not imagine another day where Hailey was not his wife and he made a pact with himself to change that sooner rather than later.

So, he took her back to that bar where it all began. Walking back in, he still remembered the nervousness he had in his stomach that day at the idea of her potentially taking the FBI's job offer. That night when he kissed her he had no idea how much his life would change and how wonderful falling in love with Hailey Anne Upton would be.

They laughed that night as they remembered the first time they had come to that bar, years ago. Hailey teased him about taking forever to make a move on her and he rolled his eyes because little does she know. But it is sweet to take a trip down memory lane and think back to where they started and how far they had come.

After getting drinks, he suggested that they go for a stroll along the river walk, to which she happily accepted. They walked slowly and closely, Hailey's hand firmly in his as she pressed herself up against his side. She was in the middle of telling him something about the Chicago skyline when he stopped walking, turning to face her, a determined look on his face masking the nervousness he felt building.

_"You good?" She says sweetly as he removes himself from her embrace and moves to stand in front of her._

_"Never better." He tells her honestly, before taking a deep breath. Here it goes._

_"Hails, you are the best thing in my life. You have constantly pushed me to be better and made me want to be better." He sees a smile creep up on her face as she realizes what is going on and it gives him the courage to continue. He is not one for expressing how he feels through words, but she deserves to hear this and know truly how much he loves her._

_"I can't imagine my life without you." He continues, digging in his coat pocket to pull out the ring box. "And I know our lives are chaotic, but whatever comes, I want you to be my side."_

_The wind is blowing against them, rustling through her hair as she flicks a small tear that is forming in her eyes. She is grinning ear to ear with watery eyes and he thinks to himself she has never looked so beautiful._

_"So," He kneels and pops open the box. "Hailey Anne Upton, will you-"_

_"Yes." He chuckles slightly._

_"You didn't let me finish."_

_"Then hurry up and ask me so I can say yes." Typical Hailey, but he loves this woman, impatience and all._

_"Will you marry me?"_

_He barely hears her whisper yes as she pulls him up from his kneeling position and kisses him quickly. He can feel her smiling against his lips and pulls her tight against him. They spend a few moments like that before they separate, breathless, and he smiles at her, pulling the ring out of the box and gently putting it on her finger._

"Jay," The familiar voice calls out his name and he has to take a second to recollect his thoughts before turning to Hailey, his wife, dressed in a beautiful, simple white gown. He does not know how it is possible, but he loves her more today than he did on the day that he proposed or the day that he first kissed her.

"You good?" She says as she comes up to him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Just thinking." He murmurs and kisses her gently.

"Hmm." She chuckles against his lips. "Dangerous."

He does not respond at first, content to just hold her as they watch their friends laugh and joke around. Neither of them had much family left, but as they stood in a room filled with so many people that they loved, they knew they were beyond lucky. Jay would have been more than happy to just stay like that for the rest of the night, but he hears a pause in the music and sees Vanessa step up in front of everyone, holding a microphone.

"Hey everyone. Me again. I promise I'll keep it quick this time." She laughs, referencing her earlier maid of honor's speech that had left everyone a little teary eyes. "But I've known Jay and Hailey for a really long time and I've had the privilege of watching them fall in love."

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Hailey smiling and he just pulls her closer, placing a soft kiss on her temple.

"I remember this one time, a few years ago, before these two were even dating, we went to a wedding and I watched Jay and Hailey dance. And that's when I knew they were going to end up together. The way these two looked at each other back then... well, let's just say everyone knew."

Everyone in the audience laughs because everyone else knew for a long time what Jay and Hailey were both too scared to admit.

"So, with all that being said," Vanessa continues. "I would like to announce the first dance of Mr. and Mrs. Hailey Upton."

Jay chuckles quietly at Vanessa's antics as a slow song begins. Hailey peels herself from his side, holding her hand out to him as she says to him, "Dance with me?"

His heart beats a little faster because he can remember all those times where he asked her that same question. He whispers yes and they make their way out to the dance floor, not caring that all their friends are watching them or if they embarrass themselves.

They fall into a position that they have been in hundreds of times by this point, his arms around her waist, holding her close, as she wraps her arms around his neck. He rests his forehead against hers, whispering how much he loves her and how happy he is.

And it hits him, that here, dancing with his wife, that this is what true happiness feels like. It's holding her close, swaying together while listening to the quiet music as they murmur sweet nothings to each other. He never wants this moment to end, but he knows that inevitably it will.

But it's okay, he thinks, because he will get to dance with her for the rest of his life.

And that's more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments/kudos are always appreciated
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @anniesardors for more fics or to chat anything upstead!!


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